


Purity ring

by Ecila404



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Christian!Niall, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Narry - Freeform, Supernatural References, punk!harry, slight homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-09
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 23:24:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/919254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecila404/pseuds/Ecila404
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Niall was thirteen years old, he asked his father what sex was. It was an innocent enough question, and Minister Horan put a stop to it immediately - within a week, Niall was wearing a purity ring. It was a simple gold band that represented his devotion to his religion. Although Niall's classmates found the ring silly, he never gives into the pressure to take it off. He's a virgin by choice, after all, isn't that more than a large percentage of kids his age can say?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Purity ring

**Author's Note:**

> I got the inspiration from The Secret Life of the American Teenager (you don't have to watch the show or even know what it is to understand) and Grace's purity ring... which she took off before she even got married but you know, shit happens. There are plenty of spelling and grammatical errors so please feel free to message me about any of them.

Niall was the most religious person you'll ever meet. Not once has he sinned, nor has he missed a church class or swore. He was the son of the minister, practically destined from birth to become an active member of the church. His t-shirts were bright colors with obnoxiously positive slogans and with them he wore khaki shorts, his style dorky with an edge of sporty when he wore his trainers. He was pretty standard for a kid his age, besides the purity ring on his left hand. 

 

Most people would get beat up for being so clean-cut, but Niall was a genuine and kind person. Picking on Niall wasn't something that brought anyone joy, his reactions never more than vaguely pitying looks as though he felt bad that the bully went to the trouble of harassing him. He went to both the early and late Sunday morning services, and even went to other activities at the church during the week.

 

xx

 

Harry also had a heart of gold like Niall, but his interests had nothing to do with religion. He swore at the dinner table, had a body littered with tattoos, and never buttoned his shirt up above the third or fourth button.

 

His family, composed of extremely religious parents and a sister, were not exactly thrilled with his style of life. While Harry was perfectly aware of their disapproval of his interests, he had no idea why they felt dragging him to a small town in Ireland would save him.

 

"It's the cutest little town!" His mother had insisted, pulling his church clothes out of his newly unpacked closet as they got ready that morning. "Nicest church I've ever seen!" His father had said before his sister followed along easily with,"A nice school," But that wasn't swaying Harry in the slightest. He had been forced to leave his (boy)friend Zayn and "girlfriend" Caroline behind in London, too far away for him to possibly meet up with either of them more than once or twice a month.

 

Harry had realized he was gay in fifth grade when he came home telling his mother he had a crush on a cute little boy in his class (Zayn). His mother had instantly scolded him, making him go to church and hear the minister's talk on homosexuality. From then on, he kept his thoughts in his head, hands in his lap, and mouth closed shut.

 

Harry was looking out the window, watching as a couple cottages and trees flew by his view. It was only the second day they were there, but his parents had already found a church in where they could go for their first Sunday service in Ireland.

 

They pulled into the parking lot, and Harry was surprised to see dozens and dozens of cars in one place in a tiny town like this. Harry scoffed, guessing that this was the only church in a twenty-mile radius. They walked up to the door, intent on opening it before a boy stepped in front of them to open it for them.

 

"Hello, let me get that for you! Nice to meet you, I'm Niall Horan," He said, his tone far too chipper to be this early morning at a church. Harry wondered if the kid might be on drugs.

 

"Are you the son of Minister Horan?" His mother asked, and Niall nodded politely. He shook the hands of both of Harry's parents, almost painfully respectful of both of them. It's not as though their previous church treated Harry like the plague, but they certainly met him with hesitation and often seemed uncomfortable in his presence whereas Niall showed no sign of discomfort.

 

"Nice to meet you, it's great to see new faces!" Niall exclaimed, and Harry looked at Niall's face closely as he looked for any kind of insincerity. Shockingly, he found none. Niall seemed just as happy to see Harry as he did Gemma, a lovely young woman who nearly all of Harry's friends had crushed on at one point or another.

 

"I'm Gemma," His sister said politely, shaking Niall's hand before straightening out her dress like she always did when there was a boy she found handsome. Harry looked Niall over, the boy's collared shirt neatly tucked in paired with a set of dress shoes, and he could understand if she did. If Niall really held no resentment towards him, he'd play wingman for Gemma later on.

 

"Harry, introduce yourself!" His mother scolded, and Harry was broken from his thoughts because Niall was waiting to shake his hand.

 

Harry took his hand, still half-surprised that it seemed genuine. "I'm Harry, nice to meet you," Harry said, and his mother looked at him with a pleased look on her face. Normally, in moments like this he would call attention to all of the imperfections of the Christian faith; while he certainly was kind at the core, he had no patience for the hypocrisy that he often found amongst church folk. In fact, he had a sarcastic remark on the tip of his tongue before he felt just the smallest stroke of Niall's thumb across the side of his hand.

 

He was admittedly dumbstruck, Niall's eyes flickering between the Styles family members but his hand still in Harry's. Surely he was imagining it, or perhaps it was customary. He likes to think he would have figured out something to say eventually, but it didn't matter as Niall simply let go of his hand and moved on.

 

"Come in, come in. Service starts in about half an hour, and there are snacks in the front hall to your right," Niall guided, and the family entered. Harry even half-missed Niall's ridiculous politeness when he went to greet another family.

 

"Wasn't he cute, mum?" Gemma whispered excitedly, and their mum nodded.

 

"Very cute, and so polite. Harry, you could learn a thing or two from him," Harry rolled his eyes at this, and his father smirked, amused.

 

Harry's father was raised Christian, but was not nearly as invested in the church as his mum and he was able to realize Harry would never be a good little church boy. His mother seemed to hold out hope, despite the decade of Harry rejecting the lifestyle.

 

They started an idle conversation, munching on the chocolate muffins that were absolutely heavenly until Niall entered the dining area. The front hall was a piece of art itself. With mahogany tables and large windows, the room was warm and Harry found himself relaxing unthinkingly.

 

"Alright, everyone, we have church service in five minutes if you could please take a seat in pews. If you need any assistance getting there, my brother Greg would be more than happy to help," Niall said, a giant smile on his face and a tiny baby in his arms.

 

A grumpy-looking man that resembled Niall roughly waved vaguely at the introduction. He did not seem exactly happy to help, but he pushed an old woman's wheelchair into the adjoining room like he did this every week. Harry, sensing that they might have something in common, decided to introduce himself.

 

"Mind helping me get to the pews?" Harry asked with a smile, and the man shook his head.

 

"Very funny, haven't heard that one before," The man said, chuckling as he shook Harry's hand.

 

"I'm Harry, brand new to Mullingar. You look like the only person here who I might want to see outside of Sunday mornings, so," Harry replied, suppressing the thought of Niall. While the boy was the only other person he had encountered that was his age, he didn't see the two of them falling into the same crowds at school.

 

"Suppose that's fair, I'm Greg," Greg was evidently amused by Harry, one look at the boy's heavily tattooed arm explaining why they would get along well.

 

"I take it you're not like your brother?" Harry asked, as they walked into the sanctuary. It was grand, stained glass windows along the sides displaying different biblical scenes and the pews ornate.

 

"Oh, hell no. But Niall's a good kid, almost too good y'know?" Greg said, jerking his head to refer to Niall who was rocking a baby while leading the kids choir in a practice run of the hymn.

 

"He really is, but most Christians won't even touch me," Harry didn't try to hide the resentment in his voice, shrugging. "Too good isn't really a problem I've had with people. I've got to join my family, but it was nice to meet you."

 

"He is the kindest person you'll ever meet, I suppose that counts for something. Nice to meet you too, and have a blessed day!" Greg said sarcastically, and they shared a laugh as Harry joined his family.

 

"Did you meet the other son of the minister?" His mother asked him, and Harry nodded.

 

"Really nice guy," He said, and his mother nodded, pleased with Harry's behavior. Just then, the minister rang a bell and the entire church fell quiet.

 

"It's such a wonderful Sunday that we have gathered upon. Before we begin with a prelude provided by the children's choir, I'd like to send my wishes to the Winchester family who just lost Mary. Our prayers are with you, and we wish you the best," The minister announced, before handing the microphone to Niall, who must've passed the baby to someone else. Whose baby it was, Harry had no idea.

 

"Good morning everyone! Father, you are most definitely right about this being a beautiful Sunday," He says enthusiastically, almost like an announcer for a football game. "The children's choir would like to present to you a song from your hymn book, page one hundred and forty-one. Thank you," Niall said, before putting the microphone back on the pedestal.

 

Harry watched as Niall took a seat at the piano, adjusting his fingers before mouthing the words "One, two, three," and the choir began singing in time with his music.

 

Harry had been to a lot of church services, it was part of being in the Styles family. But he had never heard a choir sing so in sync, and it took him a second to figure out the deeper harmonies were coming from Niall.

 

The entire church seemed to sway in time with the music, and Niall never wavered. Harry had seen his fair share of choirs and often found them boring. Gemma seemed positively infatuated, with the children's music or Niall Harry could only guess.

 

"Thank you, Niall, for a beautiful prelude," The minister said, and once Niall's name stopped coming up, Harry stopped listening.

 

Instead, Harry watched as Niall praised the children in his choir and guided them down the hallway to what Harry could only assume was a children's classroom. Niall then padded back in the sanctuary, making such little noise that Harry could only assume he had a lot of practice, and sat in a different pew than his brother and who Harry guessed was his mother.

 

Instead, Niall picked up the baby from a different woman's arms and sat with a different family. Harry's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, before returning his attention to the minister.

 

The service lasted a lifetime (an hour and a half) and Harry nearly screamed in relief when they concluded the service. Niall instantly went to Harry's family after the service, the tiny baby in his arms smiling at Niall like he was the cutest thing in the world.

 

"So, Mrs. Styles, we are having a small lunch in celebration of the birth of Hannah," Niall started, referring to the baby in his arms, "And attendance is in no way mandatory but if you have no other plans, we'd love for you to come."

 

"Well, that'd be lovely, where are her parents?" Mrs. Styles asked, and Gemma started playing with the baby's foot. Niall smiled at her encouragingly, bouncing the baby in his arms.

 

"Her parents, the Smith's, have been in the kitchen preparing lunch, that's why I've had her," Niall answered politely, before looking to Gemma again. "Would you like to hold her?"

 

"Yes," Gemma replied quickly, before creating a cradle with her arms and Niall tucked the baby in it.

 

"So, if you come this way, her parents have just finished the lunch," Niall said, guiding them to another room. Harry tried to ignore the fact that Niall's hand was on his lower back, but he failed. He had plenty of experience with men trying to get in his pants, but he was in no way prepared for it at church and he felt himself become flustered. Then, realizing what he was thinking, he tried to shut the entire idea down. He'd have plenty of time to meet Irish boys here before university, he didn't need to hit on someone who wasn't even appearing on his gaydar - at all. 

 

"Isn't the dining room that way?" Mr. Styles asked, and Niall grinned at him, before opening the door to another room.

 

"That was the before-service preparation room, in here is the Fellowship Hall," Niall said, and they entered another large room that was about half the size of the sanctuary and twice the size of the preparation room.

 

"This church is amazing," Gemma said, and Niall smiled at her.

 

"Thank you, I think so too," He replied before the baby let out a little cry. Gemma looked troubled, but Niall just picked up the baby from her arms and rocked her lightly. "Don't worry, she just misses her mum,"

 

Gemma's smile instantly returned, and Niall turned around to give the now happy baby to a woman behind him.

 

"Niall, I think Hannah is in love with you. You're the only one she smiles at," Mrs. Smith said, and Niall blushed, chuckling.

 

"Mrs. Smith, this is the Styles family. I will leave you to converse, please pardon me," Niall said, before leaving and dropping his hand from Harry's lower back. Harry would be lying if he said he didn't miss it, and he tried to shake off the spot where Niall's hand had been that now felt cold.

 

When the lunch was served, the Smith's thanked everyone for coming and thanked Niall for watching Hannah. Everyone clapped for Niall, and Harry slid in the seat next to him.

 

With every intention of giving Gemma a solid foundation with Niall, he opened his mouth to speak up but was cut off when Niall spoke first.

 

"Do you have enough to eat?" Niall asked, sounding remarkably like Harry's mother. Although Harry's mind didn't make the connection, though, Niall scooting closer to him and putting a hand on Harry's knee in one smooth motion. It was done with such practiced ease that Harry thought he must have done it before.

 

"Of course," Harry replied, Niall nodding in affirmation. A beat of silence passed, and Harry felt a need to fill it. "So, Niall, what school do you attend?"

 

"I attend Maple Valley School, its down on Crest," Niall answered, "How about you? Have you picked a school?"

 

"Actually, I'll be attending Maple Valley as well, I have my first day tomorrow... I thought you would go to..." Harry trailed off, suddenly reconsidering his words because he didn't want to offend Niall. There's a first for everything, Harry supposed, he's never been one to be careful with his words or awkward silences.

 

"A Christian school?" Niall filled in for him, and Harry nodded sheepishly. "Well, the only one nearby is nearly an hour away which would cause me to miss all kinds of things at church. It's alright, though, I love Maple Valley."

 

"I'm really excited to go," Gemma interjected, and Harry was startled. He had forgotten that his sister was only across the table one seat over. Niall's hand fell off of his knee, as though he was also shocked at the new voice, but he recovered much better and talked to Gemma about the school.

 

After the lunch, all Harry wanted to do was go home and not be at church but his mother was determined to find Niall and talk to him.

 

"Hello, Niall," His mother cheered, and Niall turned around from the man he was talking to with a big smile on his face. Harry briefly wondered if he ever stopped smiling.

 

"Hello, Mrs. Styles, how did you like the service?" Niall asked politely, kissing Mrs. Style's cheek.

 

"We absolutely loved it, we were wondering if you have a schedule for the weekly services?" She asked, and Niall nodded.

 

"Sure, let me grab you one," He said, before disappearing in a wave of people who were leaving.

 

"Did you see that? When was the last time you kissed me on the cheek, Harry?" Mrs. Styles asked, and Harry shrugged. Honestly, Harry didn't think he ever kissed his mother on the cheek.

 

"Here you are, Mrs. Styles," Niall reappeared, holding a piece of paper in front of him. "I'm sorry, but I really must go. I hope you had a lovely time," Niall said, shaking Harry and Mr. Style's hands and kissing Gemma's blushing cheek before disappearing.

 

Harry was paying close attention to Niall's hand in his this time around but didn't find any lingering touches. This time, however, he had a piece of paper in his hand when he pulled his hand back. He gave Niall a confused look, unable to interrupt the string of compliments streaming from his mother's mouth, but Niall just smiled.

 

The entire car ride home was spent discussing how lovely Niall was, or how great Niall did that. Harry opened the piece of paper and found a phone number with a small smiley face beside it. Harry tried to convince himself that it was just Niall offering his aid when it came to school or church.

 

When they got home, Harry finally looked over the schedule for the week and understood why Niall went to Maple Valley high school.

 

Monday: _Children's class (Run by Niall Horan)/Adult scrabble night_  
Tuesday: _Boy scouts meeting (Run by Niall Horan)/Adult's choir practice_  
Wednesday: _Girl scouts meeting (Run by Missouri Mosely)/Wednesday worship (Run by Minister Horan & son; Niall Horan)_  
Thursday: _Children's choir practice (Run by Niall Horan)/Poker night (hosted by Dean; more info on the back)_  
Friday: _Church dinner/Friday night prayers_  
Saturday: _Playground day for children (supervision by Niall Horan)/Adult conversation_  
Sunday: _Morning worship(Run by Minister Horan & son; Niall Horan)_

 

"Jesus Christ, he's there every day!" Harry gasped, and his mother hit him with a towel.

 

"Language!" She chided, looking at the schedule at well. "It does look like he practically lives there," she agreed. Harry scowled at the schedule, putting it on the table before retreating to his room

 

Harry spent the night blasting music, in hopes of drowning out the thoughts of Niall Horan and failing miserably.

 

xx

 

The next morning, Harry sauntered into the school and tried to find his way around. Who knew such a tiny town had such a gigantic school? Harry suspected that it was the only high school for miles around, just like church.

 

He wandered around for about ten minutes, just looking for the right room number, before realizing he went in a circle. He groaned, turning around in hopes of finding the front office where he came in from before running into Niall.

 

"Harry," Niall greeted, hand going to Harry's shoulder naturally. It was fucking odd like they weren't quite ready for a hug but he was trying to get there.

 

"Hey, Niall... Uh, where is room 142?" Harry asked when Niall finally let go.

 

"Oh, right this way, I'll show you, it's not far from where I'm going," Niall said, starting into the halls.

 

"Thanks," Harry said, following Niall and smiling at him when Niall turned around to make sure that he was keeping up.

 

Harry watched as Niall greeted dozens of people throughout the halls, some even more intimately than he had Harry; he kissed the cheeks of girls and ruffled one boy's hair. Harry was starting to think Niall wasn't even an actual person, too nice and affectionate to be real.

 

"This is the room, the teacher's name is Mrs. Pica," Niall said, "I had her last year, it was sick."

 

"Thanks," Harry replied, tentatively returning the first gesture Niall had made with a hand on Niall's shoulder. Niall was gone as fast that he had come, a big smile on his face. Harry felt like it was just for him, and had to convince himself that this was just a random act of kindness on Niall's part. He was just being nice by showing the new kid around, really.

 

After that class was over, Niall was waiting outside talking to a couple friends of his and Harry waved. He was ready to complain about Niall's earlier statement - he had informed Harry it was sick, but he had no way prepared him for a class that was going to be actually nauseating - but he was cut off by Niall's arm swinging around his shoulders.

 

"Hey, Harry," Niall said, not letting his arm fall even as they started to walk. Harry had no idea where he was going.

 

"Hey, Niall, is your next class in this hall as well?" Harry asked, and Niall shrugged.

 

"I have no idea, but hey, I thought you could use a buddy on your first day," Niall said, grinning even bigger (if that was even possible).

 

"Well, thanks, you don't have to do that, though," Harry said, feeling weird as Niall yet again waved to every single person in their path.

 

"It's no problem, here's your class," Niall said, finally letting go of Harry. The boy must have caught a glimpse of Harry's schedule at some point because with one glance down Harry could tell this really was the room he was supposed to be in.

 

And Niall kept his promise. Every class after that, Niall walked Harry to the door and made some kind of gesture to say goodbye before leaving for his own class.

 

By lunch, Harry was feeling a lot more comfortable with Niall. Niall introduced him to Liam, who apparently was a good friend of Niall's and a couple other boys with more names that he hadn't quite caught. During lunch, he even pulled out the piece of paper with Niall's number on it and typed it into his phone.

 

"I'm right here," Niall laughed, as he read the message Harry had just sent, hi this is Harry. "Could I have your home phone number too?"

 

"What, you gonna call me on the landline?" Harry asked jokingly.

 

"I like talking more than I like texting," Niall replied, and Harry shook his head. That wasn't actually a thing anymore, was it?

 

Harry gave him the number as well, shrugging. He couldn't see anything bad coming from Niall calling on the landline besides his mother picking up and doing that thing where she invited his friends over for dinner.

 

Niall wrapped his arm comfortably around Harry, and ignored the looks that they got. The Christian boy and the tattooed punk hanging out. But Harry couldn't help but love the attention, feeling like a young lad on Christmas morning. Surely it was just a case of a kid with a new toy, and he'd move on to someone else by the next week. Perhaps Harry should just enjoy it while he has it.

 

After school, Niall was waiting by Harry's locker.

 

"Hey, Harry, I'm going to football practice, will you be alright?" Niall asked, and Harry rolled his eyes.

 

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't you have to go to church?" Harry asked, remembering the cluttered schedule but hoping that Niall would just assume he was referencing their earlier conversation about going to a school farther away and missing church services.

 

"Yeah, I cut it pretty close sometimes but I always seem to get there. See you!" Niall said, giving Harry a full-on hug before running off.

 

Harry had no idea how Niall did it. He spent all day being chipper and hardworking at school, then went to football practice and then went to church? Harry shook his head, he could never do it.

 

When Harry was leaving, his subconscious drove him towards the field as he waited for Gemma to take him home. He looked out on the field, to see Niall himself running the practice.

 

"Alright, scrimmage time, boys. Let's split you up down the middle, play with goalies and pick a formation," Niall said, not bothering to raise his voice because every single kid on the field was paying attention.

 

The team split up surprisingly well, and the scrimmage was under way in less than two minutes. Harry watched as Niall scored goal after goal, and yet never seemed like a ball hog. He watched until he felt on the tap on his shoulder, and turned to see Gemma.

 

Gemma was smiling sweetly at him, and Harry wondered how they hadn't figured out he was gay.

 

"Are you going to go out for football?" Gemma asked as they started to walk to the car. Harry shrugged, suppressing the idea of going out for football just to get a closer look at Niall in those shorts.

 

Harry worked on his homework until his mother called his name. Harry was nervous, because it was too early for dinner, and last time this happened they moved to Ireland.

 

"Yes, mum?" He asked, emerging from his room.

 

"Niall Horan is on the phone, and it's for you!" His mum said excitedly. Harry shrugged, going to take the phone and trying to hide how nervous he was. The only phone calls he made were to relatives that didn't have email.

 

"Hello?" Harry said, and quickly he got an answer.

 

"Harry! Good to hear from you!' Niall's voice rang from the other end of the phone, as though Harry was the one who called. "I was wondering if you would like to come to a movie with me, Tuesday night,"

 

"Tuesday night? Don't you have boy scouts?" Harry asked, before freezing and realizing how bad that sounded. The next thought he had was that Tuesday was actually  _tomorrow._

 

"What are you, a stalker?" Niall joked lightly, but he didn't seem phased. "Well, I have footie, then Cub Scouts, then I was thinking around seven thirty we could go?" Niall asked, and Harry felt a little stressed just hearing that schedule.

 

"What are you, a cyborg?" Harry teased, and Niall chuckled.

 

"I'm a bit busy... So, tomorrow?" Niall said, still laughing slightly.

 

"See you tomorrow. At school, then at the movies," Harry clarified, and ended the call, feeling slightly woozy. He was almost certain he was just asked on a date.

 

xx

 

The next boy, Niall yet again walked Harry to his classes because he found him lost around third period.

 

After school, Niall kissed Harry's cheek goodbye and Harry offered to take Niall to the movie. Niall agreed and told him to pick him up at the church. Needless to say, Harry spent the entire time until it was time to pick up Niall bored and unfocused. From spending the last two days at school with Niall, he knew he was the only boy who received a kiss.

 

xx

 

When it was around six thirty, he went to the church and entered despite being incredibly early. He looked around to see Niall in a little uniform, coffee brown shirt and shorts with a sash, with a group of smaller boys on top of him.

 

"Oh," Harry said, with an amused expression on his face. Niall looked up from the floor (that the tinier boys had pinned him to) and grinned at Harry.

 

"Alright, boys, training exercise over, off ya go!" Niall said, and all the boys climbed off. "Alright cub scouts, let's call it an early night and eat some cookies, right?"

 

The boys cheered, a couple of them stopping to hug Niall before running into the kitchen.

 

"You run Cub Scouts," Harry stated, and Niall tugged at his collar.

 

"I'm a den mother," He stated proudly before both Harry and Niall burst into giggles.

 

"I'm sorry, but den mother?" Harry said in between laughs, and Niall shrugged. His cheeks were pink and his hair disheveled, but he stood firm.

 

"They asked me to do it, and it's not that bad. The kids are great, and the smores are payment enough," Niall said, and Harry shrugged.

 

"I wouldn't do this in a million years," Harry replied, and Niall raised eyebrows at him.

 

"I think you'd like it," Niall insisted, stepping closer as though to lecture Harry on the values of Cub Scouts but it was only then that they both realized how close they had ended up. Harry could actually smell the chocolate and graham crackers that Niall must have had earlier over some kind of cologne. 

 

"Just, uh," Niall started, clearing his throat. Harry could see his eyes flicker down, and for the first time, he allowed himself to believe that this might not all be in his head. Maybe this well-mannered son of a minister actually had a genuine interest in him. "Let me go change, and we'll go,"

 

"Why? You look cute in the uniform," Harry said, not even realizing what he had said till it was out of his mouth. His hand went up unthinkingly, going to Niall's cheek, but the boy stepped back. Harry should have thought better of it, the action too familiar considering the fact that they just met. It was just so easy to get caught up in their little world that he forgot about everything else.

 

Harry was embarrassed, but Niall took his hand for a split second before he ran off to the next room over. Harry felt a burst of hope, overwhelmed as he slumped against the wall.

 

xx

 

The car ride to the movies was filled with light banter, and Harry couldn't remember the last time he felt so comfortable around someone. Niall didn't let one awkward silence wedge its way into their conversation, and Harry was thankful. Neither of them mentioned the moment in the church, but it was sitting right between them and surfaced every time they touched.

 

Niall insisted on purchasing the tickets, and Harry bought the snacks. There was a second where Harry watched recognition flicker on Niall's face and he tugged Harry around a corner, a group of women walking by before he let go of Harry's shirt.

 

They were even closer than before, but this time, Niall laughed it off, "We can't miss the movie," He insisted, not taking Harry's hand but looking like he'd really like to. Then, they were finding their seats and settling in. Later, Harry would discover that those were ladies that attended the church and would have almost certainly mentioned seeing Niall at the theater with a boy if they had seen them.

 

Harry picked up the armrest between them, under the pretense of placing the popcorn between them but instead he kept the popcorn right in his lap and pressed their thighs together. Harry had a bit of a reach to get a bite, but didn't mind at all.

 

During the movie, Niall found himself tracing the tattoos on Harry's forearm lightly and causing goosebumps to break out on Harry's skin. Harry didn't know he was inching towards Niall until he looked up and their faces were suddenly very close. It wasn't unlike the other times, but this time the air between them was charged and Harry was unable to look away. It seemed as though Niall felt the same. 

 

"Listen, you can't tell anyone about this," Niall whispered, and Harry nodded very lightly, careful not to bump their noses. Niall leaned in slowly, and their lips touched lightly.

 

Harry was the kind of person who fucked on the first date. Harry and Zayn had fucked the second time they were even alone together, and the only reason it wasn't the first was because they didn't have a condom.

 

But this was Niall's first kiss, Harry was certain of it. Later, he would discover that he was Niall's first anything. Niall pulled back after a moment, and Harry was okay with that.

 

xx

 

Niall and Harry started dating the very next week, after two more outings. One time where they went golfing when they kissed behind the castle at the ninth hole, and the other was completely spontaneous; it was a Saturday morning, too early for really anyone to be out, and they went on a walk around the park holding hands since Harry texted Niall complaining that he couldn't sleep any longer. No one seemed to notice that Niall kissed on the corner of Harry's mouth instead of the cheek, or their touches lingered beyond what is standard for two friends. If anyone did, he or she never said a word to either of them.

 

Harry tried not to grow frustrated, but it was hard; Niall was incredibly handsome, and it was as though he didn't know how tempting he was to Harry.

 

They stuck to the car, at first just kissing across the console before driving each other home. However, one day it all changed.

 

"Can I show you something in the backseat?" Niall asked, perfectly innocent as he climbed out of the car. They were parked behind the batting cages on a Wednesday evening, and the entire place was deserted. This was a frequent location for their dates since it was a place where men could be seen together without causing any kind of speculation and Niall actually did enjoy taking a couple swings. 

 

Harry, having adjusted to dating a man who was wearing a purity ring, didn't think anything of the request. Maybe there was something stuck on the seat or he needed help picking something up.

 

Harry was completely off-guard as Niall shoved him into the backseat. He climbed on top of Harry, straddling the man's hips and leaning down to kiss him. Harry couldn't stop smiling, feeling like the innocent one in their relationship for the first time.

 

The surprises continued, Niall's hands tugging up on Harry's shirt until Harry finally leaned back and took it off. They were both breathing heavily, Niall's hips flush against Harry's. They weren't grinding, Niall technically keeping to his above-the-belt rule, but they were so close that Harry could taste it. He settled for throwing himself into the kiss, one hand catching the back of Niall's head to prolong their kiss and the other wrapping around Niall's narrow waist to keep them close.

 

"We should stop," Niall said suddenly, pulling away and pressing his hands against Harry's chest as though he was rethinking his plan. Still, Harry strained to sit up at least somewhat to reach Niall's mouth, Despite Niall's words, he simply couldn't restrain himself from leaning down to kiss below Harry's jaw and down his neck. He left a neat hickey right above his collarbone, teeth leaving a wicked mark on Harry's skin. While he was focusing on his handiwork, Harry was moaning with his head thrown back and his hips rocking up into Niall's with his torso finally settling across the seats,

 

"Don't wanna stop," Harry muttered, his hand slipping under Niall's shirt. The skin there was smooth and it got him even more fired up as he realized it was untouched by anyone else before. He could feel Niall's resolve weakening. Harry had no reason to wait to have sex besides wanting Niall and Niall alone, so in this moment - with Niall hard and hot right on top of him - he wanted everything.

 

Niall's brain couldn't seem to catch up with what was happening, and their kiss seemed to require all of the oxygen in the car. Harry could hardly believe it when he felt Niall's hand going up his thigh, two fingers tucking in the waistband and-

 

Harry stopped him, breaking the kiss and catching his wrist. It had been the cold of Niall's ring against his stomach that shocked him, pulling him out of the drunken state he was in.

 

"What are you doing? You've wanted this, I thought you wanted me," Niall accused defensively, and Harry kissed him quiet.

 

"I can't let you do this, you'd never forgive yourself," Harry linked his right hand with Niall's left, kissing his boyfriend's hand before letting go. Niall didn't move from where he was on Harry's lap but he did remove his hands from Harry, one going to push through his own hair.

 

"I can decide what I want for myself," Niall protested weakly, as though Harry wouldn't see right through any lie he tried to tell.

 

"I know what you want, and I love you, I don't want your first time to be in the backseat of a car," Harry stated, hands now gentle where they rested on Niall's hips instead of the tight grip he had had before. He was waiting for some kind of retort, or maybe even assent as Niall realized that for once he was right.

 

When he got nothing, he looked up only to see Niall staring at him with a dopey smile on his face. Then, Harry realized what he had said.

 

"I do, you know," He allowed, refusing to pretend that his words had been a mistake. "You don't have to say it back, or some shit like that,"

 

"Language," Niall chided, but he looked like he was going to bloody cry. He leaned down, kissing Harry sweetly. "I love you."

 

Harry tried to seem nonchalant, but he failed horribly. His entire face lit up, and he embraced Niall so close that he could hardly tell where his body ended and Niall's started.

 

xx

 

Niall didn't always know he was gay, but he always knew that he didn't like girls.

 

Even in primary school when all of his friends started having "girlfriends", he found himself hopelessly uninterested. He asked a few girls out whenever he heard that they liked him first, but he never chased a girl. He didn't even know what being gay was until he was in year five when one of his friends had two mothers and he had to ask how.

 

For a while, he lived quietly with his discovery. He was gay but he told no one, burying the secret so deep that he barely thought of it anymore. By the age of sixteen, his father had grown tired waiting for him to ask the fine young ladies of the church out and took things into his own hands.

 

Almost every Sunday they had some family coming over after church for the roast, and they always had a daughter Niall's age. It got to the point where Niall didn't even know where his Da was finding them.

 

This was usually fine, and Niall made quite a few good friends from it. But much to Minister Horan's dismay, he never asked any of them out on a date. For a long time, this was just how it went.

 

Until he met Harry.

 

Harry was kind and gorgeous and confident and Niall never had a chance.

 

There was immediately the problem of not knowing if Harry would ever reciprocate the feelings, but Niall tried his best to figure it out. Subtle touches and soft words. He knew it was odd to ask another boy to the movies with no kind of explanation, but he couldn't make his mouth say the word date. Thankfully, Harry took the hint.

 

Nowadays, he warded off his father's attempts at matchmaking with a gentle but firm hand. He didn't want Harry to feel as though he was looking for back-up plans. 

 

Now, however, the word boyfriend was spinning around Niall's mind and he couldn't seem to make it go away. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that Harry returned at least some degree of his feelings, but he was also incredibly aware that Harry was far more experienced than he was. Maybe he was missing something or didn't understand what they really were. For a while, he was able to wait and tell himself that it'd be better if Harry started the conversation.

 

After dating for about three months, Niall had finally grown tired of waiting for Harry to make the first move. They had been snogging in the car, the centerpiece between their seats the only thing stopping things from escalating when Harry realized that Niall was distracted.

 

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, pulling back and trying to catch his breath. Niall kissed Harry like he was starving, but that wasn't surprising- Niall did everything one hundred and ten percent.

 

"Are we boyfriends?" Niall blurted out, unable to keep it locked up.

 

Harry had grown tense from Niall's abnormal behavior, but he instantly relaxed at the words. "I would love to be your boyfriend."

 

xx

 

They never said a word to anyone, despite how obvious it was when they moved in with each other. Niall faced some opposition in the church, but his father fought vehemently for him and he managed to continue his activities. While people in the church were constantly spreading rumors about him and Harry, he was well-liked to a degree that no one dared to confront him about it.

 

So, the little Christian boy and the punk from Cheshire fell in love, and they ran boy scout meetings together and Harry never missed one of Niall's football games.

When they got married, they got married in their kitchen and only Gemma and Greg were invited.

 

"Do you take this man to be your husband?" Greg said, wiggling his eyebrows at his brother. Niall rolled his eyes.

 

"I do." Niall answered, smiling at Harry.

 

"Oh my god, this is so boring!" Greg whined, and Gemma hit him. "Exchange the rings and let's see a smooch!"

 

Harry rolled his eyes, but took out the ring he bought for Niall and vise versa. Niall slipped Harry's ring on first before Harry took off the purity ring and threw it across the room. Grinning, he slipped the wedding ring on and pulled Niall in for a "smooch".

 

And let me tell you, Harry never hated an inanimate object as much as he despised that ring.

**Author's Note:**

> Updated 7/19/16 with new scenes and improved grammar!


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